The original, which is a read object, may contain barcode or other encoded information. The encoded information may often be a color barcode (color code sequence) alongside matrix-shaped color blocks. Even though the original contains a color barcode, the information of the original may be read (scanned) in a monochrome mode. In this case, when a scan is generated or a copy of the original is made, the color barcode is output in monochrome. Once the color barcode is output in monochrome, it cannot be decoded back to the original color barcode.